Chapter 37.1

Chapter 37. 1

...

-December 7, 1996

The plane touched down smoothly on the runway at Newark International Airport.

Through the window, Adam could see the familiar landscape of New Jersey stretching beneath the gray afternoon light. It was strange to think that just a few hours ago, he had been in California, surrounded by film sets, actors, and dinosaurs… well, animatronic dinosaurs and special effects.

Now, everything was back to normal.

As he stepped off the plane and into the terminal, his eyes scanned the crowd until they landed on his mother. Sylvia White, her brown hair pulled back and a warm smile on her face, waved at him to hurry over.

"Adam!" she called out as he approached, dragging his suitcase behind him.

Before he could say a word, his mother wrapped him in a tight hug.

"Welcome home, sweetheart."

Adam smiled, suddenly feeling the weight of the trip settle in.

Yea, he was quite exhausted, but also excited… and still a little frustrated knowing he wouldn't be filming again anytime soon.

He had really enjoyed it.

"Hey, Mom!"

"We missed you," Sylvia said, finally letting him go and giving him a gentle pat on the cheek. "How was everything?"

Adam only needed one word.

"Incredible."

His mother shook her head with a small, amused smile.

"Come on, your dad and Andrew are waiting at home for dinner. They're dying to hear all about it too. You can start filling me in on the way."

With that, they walked together to the car, and Adam began sharing bits and pieces of his experience.

....

The scent of home-cooked food filled the house as Adam stepped inside.

His father, Maurice, greeted him with a firm handshake and a pat on the back, while his brother Andrew gave him a playful shove on the shoulder.

"The family star has arrived," Andrew joked.

"So… does this mean you're a big-time movie star now?" his dad asked with a grin.

"Not even close," Adam laughed.

They sat down at the dinner table, where his mother had made a comforting meal.... grilled steak, mashed potatoes, and vegetables. Even though Adam was starving, he was just as eager to share at least a glimpse of everything he had experienced over the past few months.

Why?

Because it had been an amazing experience, one he didn't want to keep to himself.

Oh yeah, there was just so much to talk about..... the animatronics, the set, the actors, how they pulled off those incredible action scenes… so much.

He couldn't tell them everything, but he focused on what seemed most important, at least for now.

He talked about the filming process, the actors he worked with, and how Spielberg directed his scenes.

"Watching how they did the effects was insane," he said excitedly. "The velociraptors were animatronics in some scenes, but in others, they were actually… people in suits. They looked so real."

His dad nodded, clearly interested.

"That sounds impressive. And did you have fun?"

"Oh yeah! It was a lot of work, but I loved it. I definitely want to keep doing action movies"

His mother smiled proudly.... but with that hint of motherly concern only she could have.

"Well, what matters is that you get some rest now that you're home. Remember the rule—at least a month off after every shoot."

Adam sighed, slightly frustrated, but nodded. He could feel the exhaustion in his bones.... rest wouldn't be the worst thing.

But a whole month?

Yep, that felt way too long, especially now that he was more excited than ever after the best filming experience of his life so far.

The four of them kept talking, with his dad and brother eager to hear more details about how some of the action sequences were filmed—from the planning and setup to the actual performances with the full cast and crew.

And his mom… well, she was more focused on making sure he had kept up with his tutoring sessions and that all the filming regulations for child actors had been followed. Stuff she already knew because the on-set tutor kept both her and Vanessa's parents updated on everything. But still, she wanted to hear it from him. And for Adam, that was by far the most boring topic to talk about.

Oh yeah, this time, during the whole filming he had not been accompanied by his mother or his brother or any extra relative to be his legal tutor...

Why? Cause actually that role was taken by the set tutor that the director hired as he preferred that to having the tutors of both Adam and Vanessa every day on the set, that's why they had on the set the tutor who was the legal guardian of both of them during the whole filming to make sure that all the regulations were fulfilled... 

After dinner, he helped clear the table before saying goodnight to his family and heading up to his room. The second his head hit the pillow, he felt himself sinking into a deep sleep.

But, as always, it only lasted a few hours.

Because at midnight, something else would begin…

...

-December 7, 1990

That's right.... his other life as Draco Malfoy.

It had been almost a year since the first time he had woken up as Draco, and by now, it had become a routine part of his life.

At least he had learned not to stay up all night whenever he switched over to his life as Draco.

So, like always, the first thing he did after transitioning was shut his eyes and go back to sleep until Dobby woke him up.

Yeah, he really needed that rest.

And it wasn't like he had anything too important to do today besides a few lessons as usual.

Yep... Luckily, there were no formal dinners, no meetings with other wizarding families, no events to attend.

So he could actually relax a little.

Well, not too much.... because tomorrow, he'd be meeting his aunt, Andormeda. But for him, tomorrow would be in practically two days, one here, and one in his original world, so yes, he had time to prepare and think about it later.

Even knowing that, he found it rather difficult not to think about it at least a little...

There was so much he wanted to know about her.

Andromeda Black.... His mother's sister in this world.

Soon he would finally meet her in person at the Lovegoods'. 

And all of it had to happen without her or Lucius finding out.

Yep.

There were countless ways this could go wrong, but at this point, he had long since stopped listening to the rational part of his brain that told him this was just asking for trouble.

He blamed the Lovegoods. Spending so much time with them was turning him into a reckless, rebellious lunatic.

Well… mostly reckless. To the rest of the wizarding world, he was still the perfect Malfoy heir. And even though Lucius disapproved of many of his recent choices, he wasn't actually angry with him.... because Narcissa always backed him up.

Besides, Lucius still saw Draco as a prodigy. The fact that he was advancing so quickly in his magical studies only reinforced that belief.

His private tutors no longer bothered with the basics.... he had mastered those long time ago. At this point, he was already studying subjects that were usually covered in third-year Hogwarts classes.

And that was only because he was also learning things that weren't even taught at Hogwarts. If he had focused solely on school subjects, he'd probably be covering fourth-year material by now.

So yeah, Lucius was very proud of his son... even if he did question some of his decisions on a daily basis.

And Adam always played his role flawlessly. Whether it was at business meetings with his father's associates or high-class social events, he was exactly what was expected of a Malfoy heir.

That meant no one had any real complaints about him. And that, in turn, gave him certain freedoms—ones he took full advantage of.

Like spending as much time as possible with the Lovegoods. Or hanging out with Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle.

Though, to be fair, his time with Crabbe and Goyle was mostly spent training rather than talking or having fun. Blaise was the only one he genuinely enjoyed spending time with.

.....

.....

-December 8, 1996

A faint glow of sunlight filtered through the small window in his room as Adam woke up.

For the first time in months, he didn't have to rush to a film set or follow a demanding schedule.

And even though he had gotten used to sticking to strict timetables, both for filming and for his private lessons,... Adam couldn't deny how nice it was to have nothing to do.

Yeah, he loved sleeping in—and daydreaming while he was at it.

Well, more like creating his own stories in his head where he was the main character, rather than actually dreaming. But still, the point was the same.... he loved these quiet moments.

Even though, if past experience had taught him anything, this peace wouldn't last long.

Eventually, he'd get bored of being just a regular kid at home when he could be on set, filming a movie.

But for now, he'd enjoy this moment.

Future Adam could deal with the boredom later.

Today, he just spent time with his family, enjoying the comfort of home.

Andrew showed him a new video game he had gotten.... one that was actually pretty good.

Maybe he could convince his parents to buy him one too… now that he had his own money. And maybe some comics as well.

Yeah, there were definitely a few things he wanted to buy.

But even though it was technically his money, he had a feeling his parents wouldn't just let him spend it however he wanted.

Later, his dad took him for a drive so they could catch up.

The two of them didn't get to see each other much these days.... his dad was always flying somewhere for work, and now with Adam's acting career, their time together was even more limited.

Then.... It was during a casual conversation with his sister Mia later that night that Adam heard something that shocked him.

"Oh, by the way," Mia said, flipping through a magazine on the couch. "That book you and Grandma talked about a few months ago—Harry Potter? It's out here now."

Adam turned to her immediately.

"What?! Are you serious?"

Mia nodded.

"Yeah, it came out a few weeks ago. I saw it at a bookstore when I was at the mall."

Adam couldn't help but smile.

Soon, the whole world would know the story of Harry Potter.

That reminded him..... he hadn't checked in with his grandmother about how the book was doing in the UK. It had been several months since it was published there.

But he quickly put that thought aside.

In just a few days, they'd be flying to England for the holidays, just like they did every year.

He could ask her about it in person.

That night, as he crawled into bed, he felt completely relaxed.

Even knowing that, like always, when midnight came… he'd wake up again.

But this time, as Draco.

And finally, he'd get to meet Andromeda.